Ralph Henry, 80, of Red Bud, died May 4, 2023, at St. Clare Hospital, Fenton, Mo. He was born to the late Roy and Mildred (nee Mudd) Henry on Aug. 13, 1942, in Belleville.

Ralph attended St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Red Bud, and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Ruma.  He served in the U.S. Army in the 1960s. 

Ralph was a lifelong dairy farmer alongside his brothers and nephews at Henry Brothers Farms and later with his son Michael and grandsons Tyler and Travis. In his “retirement” he spent his summers camping in Utah sharing his endless knowledge with young campers and fixing everything.  

He was a member of the Monroe County Farm Bureau and Dairy Farmers of America. He also served on the Red Bud School Board for many years.  

Ralph had the great ability to make others smile and his sense of humor along with his laughter will be missed. You could always count on him for a good clean joke and a good wisecrack… “don’t stick peas in your nose!”  and we can all recall he was a bit of a daredevil when it came to driving!

Just like he dealt with all experiences in life, Ralph managed his Alzheimer’s with strength and grace and wanted to spend as much time with all his loved ones as possible. 

He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years Janet (Imming) Henry; they raised their four children on the family farm on Ames Road: Michael (Pam) Henry of Red Bud, Vicki (Matt) Heinen of Waterloo, Lori Henry (the favorite) of Red Bud and Amy (Bryan Kilpatrick) Henry of Bountiful, Utah. He is also survived by grandchildren Tyler (Megan) Henry, Tiffany Henry, Travis (Mariah) Henry, Maxwell, Mitchell and Veronica Heinen and Connor and Jackson Kilpatrick; great-grandchildren Whitley, Chase, one on the way and Willa and Briggs;siblings: Cletus (Ruth) Henry of St. Louis, Virginia Moeller of Red Bud and Roger (Marie) Henry of Ruma; sisters-in-law: Diane (Larry) Mudd of Rocher, Darlene (Raymond) Bievenue of Red Bud, Barb Koch of Red Bud, Charlene Imming of Prairie du Rocher and Shirley Henry of Baldwin; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; and many dear friends and neighbors.

He was also preceded in death by his in-laws Bernard and Clarissa; brothers Curtis Henry and Vernon Henry; sister Vera Henry; brothers-in-laws Larry Moeller, Bernie Imming and David Koch; and sister-in-law Jeanette Henry

A celebration of life will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 13 at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall, Ruma.

Memorials may be made to: St John’s Catholic School; Gibault High School; St. Patrick’s Cemetery Fund; and Gilbert Cemetery Fund.